Friday, December 19, 2008

My Weekend Crush

When Amy Poehler first announced that she was leaving “Saturday Night Live,” she said that it would be “Boyz II Men hard” to say goodbye to her seven years of yesterdays on the show. But bye she said and hard it was when Amy bid adieu last weekend to her fellow Not Ready for Primetime Players. What made Amy such a great fit on SNL was her total willingness to do whatever it took for a laugh. Her tenure at the Weekend Update desk included the first-ever all-female anchor team with the her partner-in-hilarity Tina Fey. Tina was the nerdy girl yin, to Amy's silly girl yang. Smart, energetic and even a little wicked when called for, Amy has a humor that is both physical and uninhibited.

I can't help but giggle at the thought of her hopping along as one-legged (and gassy) model Amber. Her turn as “Project Runway” winner and catchphraseologist Christian Siriano was fierce tranny hotness. I searched in vain for hours trying to find the Weekend Update clips of her taking today's starlets to task for, um, flashing their deforested lady business all over town. To quote her ever-sage advice: “You need hair down there! It’s a backup system for underwear!” Shit, we haven't even talked about the mad brilliance that was her Sarah Palin rap.

Still as sad as I am that I won't see her every weekend anymore, I am heartened by the fact that come April we'll still be able to catch her on TV every week . Amy will star in a new documentary-style sitcom from the producers of “The Office.” If you can't wait that long, catch her now on her girl (as in actual little girls) power online series “Smart Girls at the Party.” During her time on SNL she has helped prove that “funny feminist” is not an oxymoron. So thanks for all the laughs, Amy. Happy weekend, all.